Overview

Experience the sultry Southern atmosphere of Atlanta and the magic of the Carolina Lowcountry in this funny and poignant tale of one audacious woman's quest to find the love she deserves

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley's wildly successful Atlanta social set. But if losing her friends to tanned and toned young Barbie brides isn't painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les's world and push her to the edge. She's had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he's doing her a favor by keeping her around. She's going to take some time for herself—in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. And she's going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers with her first love on Sullivans Island. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants . . . and find the life of which she's always dreamed.

The Last Original Wife is an intoxicating tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, and love that is as salty as a Lowcountry breeze and as invigorating as a dip in Carolina waters on a sizzling summer day.

4 / dorothea benton frankright to America directly from the lips of the finest glassblowers of Murano. Every square foot of their offices was as beautiful as a ses-sion was insanely expensive, leaving me to wonder where exactly was this much heralded recession?“I'm here to see Dr. Katz,” I said.“And you're Mrs. . . . ?”“Carter.”“Thank you.” She pecked around on what looked like a keyboard from the Starship Enterprise and smiled when she found my name among those on his appointment calendar. I was officially entered into the captain's log.“Please make yourself comfortable in the waiting area. There's bottled water . . .”“Thanks.”My heels clicked across the beige marble flooring that was shot with veins of black and gold. When the veins of gold caught a stream of afternoon light, they sparkled like the proverbial streets of para-dise. Perhaps some people thought all this grandeur was a comfort; you know, they must be good at what they do if they can afford all this? Not me. The whole drama was a grand demonstration of con-spicuous consumption and their complete disregard for carbon foot-print. I shuddered.I took a small bottle of cold water from the refreshment station and sank into one of only two unoccupied overstuffed velvet club chairs, unscrewed the cap, and took a long drink. Okay, I'd admit this much, as off- putting as the swank trappings were to me? Well, the chairs were like a beautiful womb, upholstered in swirls of deep purple and olive on a field of smooth ecru velvet. I could've slept in them. No, I could've lived in them. If I thought no one would have noticed, I might have pushed one through the door, down the hall, into the elevator, and somehow with God's grace, I would've

the last original wife / 5smooshed it into the back of my car. Just the thought of it gave me a little thrill, and this was a time in my life when thrills were not happening for me in Atlanta.In between the chairs were small tables that held magazines on mental health, extreme adventure travel, vegan living, and every kind of yoga. You could tell a lot about the soul of an organization by the reading material in its waiting area. For my money, these par-ticular choices leaned a little to the side of wacko, but, I reminded myself, my son was a granola- boy who had been living in an ashram in Nepal for the last three years while he contemplated the uni-verse instead of completing his MBA. It wasn't like Bertie aspired to climb Everest and then come home and become an adult, not that climbing Everest is a childish thing to do. I'm suggesting that's a lofty goal. No, this was something different. He was completely under the spell of all things Hindu, Himalayan, and Tibetan. His current passion was to photograph the people as they went about their lives in the spectacular landscape near the Roof of the World. He was transfixed by the exotic temples and stupas, the smells of burning yak butter candles, and Buddhist monks seated in long lines on low cushions, chanting in guttural tones. He was completely taken by the regular people, their devotion to their faith, and their pilgrimages to Lake Manasarovar. His plan was to sell his pictures to a magazine like National Geographic or maybe put together a doc-umentary for PBS with Bill Moyers. I have to confess that while his photographs were out of this world stunningly beautiful, neither of these goals had yet to come anywhere close to fruition. So my beautiful son, Bertie, was still woven into the umbilical cord of his father's wallet.I have never been able to mail Bertie an additional check for even fifty dollars because my husband had some very deep- rooted and completely exhausting control issues. Therefore, I had lived on

6 / dorothea benton frank a very, very strict budget and never had an extra fifty dollars. All spending had to be justified in the accounting department of Wesley Carter's stingy brain. This unpleasant detail was one more item on my list entitled Why Am I Living Like This? Here's how it went: Bertie called Wes and they made small talk. Eventually Bertie would politely and humbly ask him for some money to hold him over until this deal or that deal came through. Wes pitched a fit about it and then took it out on me for a month or so until Bertie called again. Life as Wes's emotional dumping ground had long ago become tiresome and ridiculous. And odd as this may seem, part of me envied and also admired Bertie's courage to be a nonconforming, unmaterialistic seeker. The only(Continues...)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I loved this book. The premise is so unique: a wife of a well -to-do discovers she is that last original (first) wife of all the players in her husband's clique - the other husbands having all traded in for younger models. The character development is top notch. The story travels along at a brisk pace. All in all a great book.

SharonRedfern

More than 1 year ago

When a woman falls and spends 45 minutes in an empty catch basin on a trip to Scotland, you know that things are not going to well in her life. Leslie Carter has seen her friends get cast off by their husbands for wife 2.0 until she feels like she is the LAST original wife. She has had to put up with dinners and events with these younger women and then finds herself on vacation with the replacement wife for her best friend. Her husband, Wesley has dreamt all of his life about golfing at St. Andrews and off the foursome goes to Scotland. When Les has her accident, the rest of the group keeps walking back to the hotel and doesn&rsquo;t even realize she is missing. After she is located, Wes leaves her at the hospital so he doesn&rsquo;t miss his tee time.
Back home, Les realizes that her life has not turned out to be what she expected it to be. Yes, she is still married but it&rsquo;s a marriage by rote not of passion or caring. Her two adult children are irresponsible and users. Wes is a controlling guy and has no appreciation for what Les has done for him over the years. She discovers that financially they are in a much better situation than she was aware of and this is the impetus for her to take a trip to Charleston to visit her brother. Les has time to think and really assess what her life means and what she really wants to do with her future.
So many books lately feature the discarded wife being screwed by her cheating ex and having to rebuild her life on nothing but pluck. Then she gets financial revenge and a new man and everything is great. I love a good revenge plot as well as the next person, (Note: Pawley&rsquo;s Island by this author is one of the absolute best of that genre) but this book is different. Les decides to take a break from her marriage after a period of reflection and increased self-awareness. She does meet up with an old flame but that is not the answer to her problems. Les needs to see what it is about herself that put her in the position she is presently in. How did she become ok with settling for less than she deserved? Why does she let other people make her feel that her wants and needs are less important than her husband&rsquo;s and children&rsquo;s? Is fear of what your life will be without your marriage a good enough reason to stay?
Wes is not really a bad guy, just self-absorbed and oblivious. When the couple goes to counseling, the real difference between them is highlighted. Les wants to find out if this marriage can be saved and Wes just wants his old life back with no changes on his end.
There is an interesting side story about a woman writer from earlier times in Charleston in whose story Les becomes interested. The descriptions of the &ldquo;Barbie&rdquo; wives are funny and pathetic at the same time. One of Ms. Frank&rsquo;s skills is how she defines her characters and integrates the Southern mystique into her books. I thought that this book was a little less South-centric than some of her other books. That said, I enjoyed reading this book but I expected no less from one of my favorite authors.

bookjunkie42

More than 1 year ago

I loved this story. She had me laughing and hooked from the first page. She takes you through a marriage in trouble and coming into herself in a hilarious way. This is a must read!

Jacqs

More than 1 year ago

I have read all Dorothea's Books. I have enjoyed them all and would recommend them to all who enjoy a good story and of course a laugh.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Loved this book! It made me laugh out loud.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Dorthea Benton Frank is a wonderful author. I picked up The Last Original Wife because I liked the title. The book more than met my expectations. The characters are richly drawn. The plot is easy to follow. I highly recommend this book.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I found this book very interesting. The author alternates between narrators, which takes a little getting used to, but is overall very affective. Five stars.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I had trouble adjusting to the author's style at first. It didn't take me long after to get immersed in the plot. Fun, light read.Found myself grinning or laughing out loud. Only gave it 3 stars because of the unrealistic, fairytale ending. Overall, good book.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I used to thoroughly enjoy reading this author's works. I am now finding them to be redundant in plot and characters. I found this last book very disappointing.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Very interesting story love a mature story that comes out good for the first wife

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Love, love, love her books! They make me smile and embrace those that I love.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Couldn't put it down. May be her best yet. Definitely two thumbs up. Loved they way the story unfolds.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I have read all of Dorothea's novels and always have been so excited when a new one is published. This disjointed effort was such a disappointment. I guess she was tired of her delightful formula that had worked such magic in the past. I will preview more carefully her next novel before I buy it.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Always love reaing Dorothea Benton Frank's books.
This is a good story, had to keep reading it, to see how it ended.
Can't wait till she writes another one.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Easy, fun beach read! Good plot, great characters, the usual sassy and on point Dorthea Benton Frank novel.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Adds humor to some unfortunately true family disfunctions.

SJeanne

More than 1 year ago

This is such a great read. I am so glad I bought this in book form so I can stash it in my dresser to read again. I have read other Dorothea Benton Frank novels and have loved many of them. This, however, is my current favorite.

g-reader

More than 1 year ago

I love this writer. This is a totally different book for her, but I enjoyed it. I live in the Lowcountry, so I always enjoy her references to Charleston, etc.

mwill

More than 1 year ago

Loved this book but then again I love all Dorothea Benton Frank's books! Her books make me laugh out loud and this one was no exception. Read this book and then go back and read her other books. You won't be disappointed.

Mccullh

More than 1 year ago

Loved this book! Very enjoyable read and of course my favorite character in the story was the city of Charleston... The characters are relateable esp how the author rights them. You as a reader really enjoy being on the journey with them. Have already recommended this book to many friends and even some strangers

quaintinns

More than 1 year ago

I just finished the audio The Last Original Wife and loved it! I started reading the book; however, switched to the audio as it was so funny and full of southern humor &ndash; I did not want to miss a thing!
This is my third book by Dorothea Benton Frank this week &ndash; and becoming a huge fan. She is such a wonderful storyteller &ndash; she puts you in the mood and adore her detailed descriptions of the settings (when you are from the south the food, design, and style matters &ndash; as they love to entertain!
If you are over the age of 50 you will enjoy this book as I give it 5 stars and highly recommend! Having worked in the Charleston area and lived in Atlanta &ndash; loved hearing about all the great restaurants and this book makes you want to head to the Low Country as soon as possible. The characters were so engaging -- loved the way she used the first person sarcastic phrases from Les and Wes (awesome)! The narrator did an excellent job capturing the southern dialogue, as well and fell in love with the gay brother (would love to see a movie of this book)- it is movie worthy.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

This was a very good book, one that I bet alot of wives or ex-wives will relate to very well. Loved the suspense and all the wonderful Charleston History this gave. Love reading all of her books.

I found the title intriguing and I wasn't disappointed. This is the first time I've read this author and I will definitely read more. The book had me laughing out loud at times.

ChaLee

More than 1 year ago

Since I've started read Dorothea's books, I can't decide which one I like best. I'm finding myself ordering more of her books, rather than other authors. She's a great writer, and I love reading about the southern hospitality and family ties. The whole southern charm is unbeatable.